There are thousands of olive oil brands. There is no single “best” extra virgin olive oil, but rather a wide variety of brands of very high quality. How can you distinguish which ones are trustworthy?
KEY FACT
At Suerte Alta, every bottle and every tin is numbered, so that it is possible to know exactly which area of the estate each number corresponds to.
There are three fundamental types of brands that we can find in a supermarket: private label or distributor brand, a packer’s own brand, and a producer’s own brand.
The three types of brand
Private label: quality depends on the supermarket, not on a producer. The exact origin of the oil is never known, as it is usually bottled with different suppliers in large, homogeneous, and poorly differentiated volumes.
Packer’s own brand: specialized companies that bottle different types of oil (seed and olive), coming from different suppliers or industrial mills. The origin and variety are usually not determined.
Producer brand: these come directly from professionals linked to the fields and the oil mill. They only bottle EVOO, with the origin and variety specified on the packaging, and a characteristic profile according to their area and climate.
How to choose between producer brands
Family production brands, such as Suerte Alta, have their own profiles strongly marked by their olive grove of origin. Their production volumes are not very high and are focused on quality rather than quantity. In the case of Suerte Alta, every bottle and tin is numbered, making it possible to know exactly which area of the estate it corresponds to.
Cooperative and industrial mill brands also have their own profiles according to their region, and some select early-harvest olives for their highest ranges.
7 seals and details to look for on the bottle
- Origin: specified country of production, producer, or packer.
- Organic: guarantee of sustainability and absence of chemical residues.
- Denomination of Origin: guarantees origin and quality according to region, varieties, and climate.
- SIQEV seal from QvExtra International: quality standards higher than official ones, controlled by an external company.
- Numbered bottles: guarantee of traceability linked to a specific producer and site.
- Olive varieties: indicates the EVOO profile, fundamental for its use in the kitchen.
- Producer’s website: additional information about the olive grove, facilities, formats, and awards.
Frequently asked questions about EVOO brands
The private label depends on the supermarket and mixes suppliers without a determined origin; the producer brand comes directly from the field and the mill, with the origin and variety specified.
Because they link the oil to a specific producer and a specific area of the estate, providing real traceability.
For daily cooking, large tin formats (1, 3, or 5 liters); for dressing or finishing dishes, small glass bottles of a high-end EVOO with intense fruitiness.
The producer brand, with origin and variety specified on the packaging, often with numbered bottles linked to a specific area.
